Brammo wins TTXGP at Infineon, sets electric lap record

Brammo Empulse RR wins TTXGP Infineon Raceway round – Click above for high-res image gallery

In a weekend that saw the weather play a significant role, Brammo has won Infineon Raceway installment of the TTXGP Formula GP, while Kenyon Kluge took the TTX75 – a class that limits battery energy to 7.5 kWhs. The two 9-lap rounds were originally scheduled to be run on Sunday, but with bad weather threatening to prevent any high-speed activities on that day, the decision was made to hold a preemptive race on Saturday.

While the rearrangement ensured that some racing would happen, it also had the gut-wrenching effect of preventing Lightning Motors from participating. Apparently, they needed the original time-frame to have their bikes ready to go. In addition to the late withdrawal of Mission Motors, that left the field in the top class with a grand total of two entries; the Brammo Empulse RR with rider Steve Atlas and team Moto Electra with Thad Wolff in the retro-electric saddle.

If there was a chance that Wolff could challenge the Brammo, it was lost in qualifying with an unplanned trip through the gravel. Luckily, no one was hurt but the bike's fairing was lost in the incident. In that Saturday race, the team from Blue Grass, VA managed to come off the starting line stronger but soon found itself in the second place position it would end the race in. Kenyon Kluge seemed to have no problem keeping the Volt Motorcycles entry ahead of the Proto Moto machine in the Formula 75 class that was run concurrently.

Though there was no "nipping at the heels" to spur on the Empulse RR with its newly upgraded motor, the lap times from last year's event were waiting to act as a measuring stick of any progress. The skies cleared long enough on Sunday to stage a second round and it was during that staging that Atlas set a new course record for electric motorcycles at Infineon with a 1:55.150, a feat which it accomplished, according to a tweet, at 85 percent of the bike's potential power.

With Brammo having been somewhat cagey about their further racing commitments this season, the win will hopefully encourage them to travel on to the next TTXGP at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 17th. The grid should be a little more crowded and fans will certainly appreciate seeing the sort of competition they've been waiting for.